Matthew l



M. L. ROBERTS.

Post-Hole Spade.

'Panted epp 17, 1867.

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MATTHEW L. ROBERTS, OF SMITHVLLE, CNADA. Letters Patent No. 68,903, dated 'S'etember 17, 1867; anterltlted September 8, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPADE FOR DIGGING POST-HOLES.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, MTTHEW L. Ronnnrs, now residing at Smithville, in the ,county of Lincoln, and Province of Canada, have invented a new and improved-Instrument or Spade for Digging Post-Holes, dm. andIdo hereby deelare that the following is a full and exa-et description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-;-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved spade in the positioiiiforl inserting inthe ground.

Figura 2 a Vertical section of the same. i Like letters of reference indicate eorresponding parts in both figures. y

My invention consists in the peculiar combination and arrangement of tn'o hlades or scoops, hinged together at their upper corners with the handles of the aine,'forining an instrument for digging'holes in the ground,

substantially as hereinafter described.

As represented in the drawings, A A are two semi-eylindrical bladcs or seopps, 'provided with handles B B, which may be riveted to the same, or seeured in a-ny other suitable manncr. The upper ends of these bladesA A. are fastened in any des'irable way to two eorresponding scgments, C C, of a ring, which are jointed or hinged together at their extreinities, sens to form with the attaohed blades or seoops a cylinder.` These segments may be hinged, as represented, by means of a red, d, or inany other suitable method, as desired. The lower onds of, these scoops orblades are sharpened by chainferingas shown at, fig. 2, so us to casily penetrate theearth. The blades A A maybe made of iron or steel, (the latter of whichis profcrable,) and quite tthin, as their cylindrical or eurved form readers them more still' and unyielding. The ring segments C C add great strength and `firmness to the blades. They also furnish firm and strong hinge-joints, one on .each side, and serve to seeurely attach the handles, so that there is no breaking an'ay of the sheet metal of the blades by the attaehment. Again, they give a much' broader and'stronger surface to the topof the blades, to enable the operator to force them into the ground by the foot bearing thercon. The handles B B may be made of iron, or Wood and iron, as preferred..

They are attached to the ring segments and blades at Iioints equidistant from the hinge-joints. The usual form of the lblades or seoops is 'the semi-eylindrical, as represcnted, such isrequired for di gging round holcs, but where a square, oblong, orsother form of hole is required to be dug, the form of the blades maybe correspondingly varied.

The operation of my improvement, eonstrncted ns above described, is simple and obvious. The'blades or scoops, as -represented in black lines, are in the' position for inserting'in'the ground, beingin` the formiof a cylinder. After the spade in' this position has been foroed into the earth, it is turned in the hole (if round) to' entirely separate the earth within from the ground around, and the handles are separated, when Vthe lower ends of the scoops are pressed together, they being so eonstructed that the edges of one blade, in'closing, shall one,3

pass outside and the other inside of the corresponding edgcs of tho'other scoop, as shown inred lines in fig. 1, and threby compressing the earth within, so that it will be retained in und removcdiwith the instrument from i the hole, When it is then discharged therefroui by closing the handles, as represented in red lines, tig. 2. The

same operation Vis then repea ted till the hole has been excavated' to the required depth. My improvcd spade is more particularly designed for looso soils, but it may bo used in any ground that is not very stony and hard.l i Its great advantage eonsistslin the case and ra-pidity with which the ordinary Poster stake-holes, forfenees and other similar purposes, may be exeavatcd, and also in the simplicity and durability of its construction.-

The special advantages of hinging the hlades at their upper ends, by joints on opposite sides, through means of the ring segments, consist, first, in giving that firinness and strength which will enable the blades to with stand the powerfiil twisting strain when the instrument is turned in the ground; second, in thereby always insuri'ng" asize and shape which are always uniform and cannot be varied, since the ring segments or upper e'nds of the blades do not expand or contract, whereas,'if the instrument were jointediabovethe blades, not only vWould therebe great strain on the handles, but there would be no means of dctermining and g'auging the size 'of the hole: ,The handles also have greater leverage therebyl A Thendvanta-ge of attaehing the handles withouthinging to or crossing each other lies in the greater conreniienoe in handlingf, and in using the foot between there, and in better helding the earth between the blades,

when friaised, by drawing'ana-rt the handl'es, rather than together.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- The construction and arx'angement oflthe blades A A, hinged together at their upper cuda by means of the ring segments O O, :md having the handles B'uuitod to them ut points oqui'distant from the jonts thcreof, the a said handles not cross'n'g, substantially'in the mnnncr :'Lnd for the purposes herein specified.

In witness whereof I have hercuntq sgned my name in the presencc of two subscribing Witnesses.

MATTHEW L. ROBERTS.

Witnesses JAY HYATT, L'oUIs vJENSA. 

